Allow 3rd party "map apps" for Pokemon Go

Niantic and Nintendo need to either allow 3rd party "map apps" for Pokemon Go, or create their own, either as a separate app or as part of the game itself.

Using maps to locate Pokemon, Raids and Gyms has become an integral part of the Pokemon Go game play. They have helped players, both casual and hardcore, to enjoy the game in more ways than they otherwise would have. They have helped to bring the playing community together faster and better than any other method allowable.

To travel around to random locations in the hope of finding rare Pokemon, specific raids or gyms is not practical in the real world and takes considerable time and money that a lot of players do not have.

Legendary Pokemon were recently released for a short period of time in the game and without a map to find where these raids were would have been difficult, and coordinating the community to take part in these raids would have been even more difficult.

Without a map players would not have taken part in as many raids as they have done, which would have meant less income from the purchase of in-game consumables such as raid passes. Being able to use a map as part of the normal game play will obviously generate more income for the developers as players are better able to plan their game time and are more likely to spend money on the game if they can see where they are going and why.

3rd party apps are against the terms of service for the game but maps have been developed out of necessity because the developers refuse to add this function to their game. If map apps are against the terms of service then so too by definition are apps such as Facebook, Messenger, Twitter, Telegram, Discord, Whatsapp and any other form of social media that is used by players to coordinate their game play and bring the community together with one soul purpose, as these are also 3rd party apps.

Map apps will help generate more income, will also help the player base grow and provide longer player retention. Removal of these apps will see a decline in the player base, lower numbers of new players and ultimately less income for the developers.

Ultimately, the game needs these maps. If it means the developers providing this as a subscription service to offset the cost of the servers to run it, then, as long as the cost is not excessive, this would, I believe, be acceptable to the players. Otherwise let them be run as 3rd party apps.